Research Guides: History Research Guide: U. S. Public Health & Medicine History

U. S. Public Health & Medicine History: Introduction

This guide will help you find published scholarship (essays, books, chapters, journal articles, etc.) and primary source material on a topic.

Choose a topic that interests you and fits within your assignment's parameters.
Read good summaries of the topic in subject encyclopedias, like those listed below, to gain a basic overview of your topic.
Search for published scholarship in library discovery systems, catalogs, databases, scholarly & research organizations, etc.
Identify primary source material (e. g. documents & records, art & artifacts, personal narratives & memoirs, data & statistics, maps & charts, photographs & illustrations, etc.) through your scholarly readings, and by searching or browsing the digital collections of libraries, archives, museums, and other scholarly & research organizations.

Remember to evaluate the accuracy of your sources, and think critically about their content and arguments.

For remote login to the Library's electronic resources, see our instructions for Off-Campus Access.

Remember to talk about your project with your instructor in the History Department!

U. S. Public Health & Medicine History: Reference Essays (from Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Web Guides)

Subject encyclopedias and other reference guides can provide good background information on a topic. Many reference books are in printed format, while others are available in electronic resource collections such as:

Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library)

Oxford Reference

There are also several contemporary medical web guides that provide foundational information and definitions for health and illness.

Diseases and Conditions (Mayo Clinic)

MedlinePlus: Health Information for You (National Library of Medicine)

Merck Manual, Consumer Edition

WebMD: Health A-Z Guide - All Health Topics

Dictionary of American History
ISBN: 9780684805337
Publication Date: 2002-12-11
"Entries from previous editions have been updated and revised in light of historical developments and current scholarship, and more than 800 new entries cover recent events and topics not covered previously. For the first time, illustrations and maps are incorporated into the main body of the work; a collection of primary source documents appears in Volume 9."
The Encyclopedia of Civil War Medicine by Glenna R. Schroeder-Lein
ISBN: 9780765611710
Publication Date: 2008-07-15
The American Civil War is the most read about era in our history, and among its most compelling aspects is the story of Civil War medicine - the staggering challenge of treating wounds and disease on both sides of the conflict...Clearly organized, authoritative, and readable...covers both traditional historical subjects and medical details."
Encyclopedia of Environmental Health (5 vols.) by Jerome O. Nriagu (Editor-In-Chief)
ISBN: 9780444522733
Publication Date: 2011-02-10
"Many of the key determinants and solutions to environmental health problems lie outside the direct realm of health and are strongly dependent on environmental changes, water and sanitation, industrial development, education, employment, trade, tourism, agriculture, urbanization, energy, housing and national security."
Encyclopedia of Global Health by Yawei Zhang (Editor)
ISBN: 9781412941860
Publication Date: 2008-01-09
"Comprehensive A to Z, inter-disciplinary, one-stop reference to a broad array of health topics worldwide...covers all aspects of health, including physical and mental health entries, biographies of major doctors and researchers, profiles of medical institutions, organizations, and corporations, descriptions of drugs and operations...elements of the encyclopedia include an in-depth chronology detailing advances in health through history, a glossary of health definitions, extensive cross-references to related topics, and thorough bibliographic citations."
Encyclopedia of Public Health by Lester Breslow (Editor)
ISBN: 9780028653549
Publication Date: 2001-11-01
"The Encyclopedia examines topics as broad in range as environmental health, drug abuse, epidemiology, nutrition, demographics and bioterrorism. Includes overviews, definitions and biographical entries."
The Gale Encyclopedia of Environmental Health by Jacqueline L. Longe
ISBN: 9781410388230
Publication Date: 2018-08-01; 2nd edition
"Contains over 280 entries on environmental health. Topics include significant historic and current natural and manmade events, public health terms, diseases and conditions related to the environment, and organizations and legislation"--
Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine by Laurie J. Fundukian; Gale Group Staff (Contribution by)
ISBN: 9781414486468
Publication Date: 2011-06-07
"Features information on more than 1,700 medical topics...Disease/disorder articles typically cover definition; description; causes and symptoms; diagnosis; treatments; prevention; and more. Test/treatment articles typically cover definition; purposes; precautions; preparation; risks; normal and abnormal results; and much more. Biographical and historical sidebars appear throughout the text."
Health and Wellness in the 19th Century by Deborah Brunton
ISBN: 9780313385117
Publication Date: 2013-12-09
"This book showcases the wide range of medical ideas, practices, institutions, and patient experiences, revealing how the exchanges of ideas and therapies between different systems of medicine resulted in patients enjoying a surprising degree of choice. The author offers a unique perspective that provides an introduction to 19th-century medicine on a global stage and places the advancement of medicine within the context of wider historical changes."
International Encyclopedia of Public Health by Kristian Heggenhougen (Editor-In-Chief); Stella R. Quah (Editor-In-Chief)
ISBN: 9780122272257
Publication Date: 2008-09-08
"An authoritative and comprehensive guide to the major issues, challenges, methods, and approaches of global public health. This encyclopedia will cover all dimensions of the field, from details of specific diseases to the organization of social insurance agencies."

Scholarly Books

OneSearch; Search for printed and electronic scholarly books at QC and other CUNY libraries.
WorldCat: Search for scholarly books in the national catalog for the United States and Canada. Includes holdings from libraries in other parts of the world, primarily European or English-speaking.

Scholarly Journal Articles (search Databases)

America: History & Life This link opens in a new window
Definitive index of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
CINAHL Complete This link opens in a new window
CINAHL Database provides indexing of the top nursing and allied health literature available including nursing journals and publications from the National League for Nursing and the American Nurses Association.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. Please sign to QC Library when prompted to browse articles within the Queens College Library collections.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Remote access to Google Scholar may not always work. In such cases we advise that you follow the steps below or review the FAQ on Google Scholar
How to access QC subscribed articles via Google Scholar:
1.Access Google Scholar via the un-proxied version: Google Scholar
2. From the Menu Icon on the Top Left select Settings then Library Links
3. In Library Links, search for Queens College then select "Queens College --> Fulltext at QC"
4. SAVE and return to the Google Scholar Homepage
5. You should be able to search for articles. When you see the "Queens College --> Fulltext at QC", select to either be re-directed to the Library Catalogue, OneSearch or asked to login to the library proxy in order to access articles.
6. Please review the FAQ on logging into the library proxy.
Should you have any additional questions, please contact our Electronic Resources Librarian by completing the Electronic Resources Access Form.
Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition This link opens in a new window
Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition is a trusted full-text database covering nursing and allied health topics, including pediatric nursing, critical care, mental health, nursing management, and medical law.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR is a multi-disciplinary collection of scholarly journals and e-books that include primary sources, images, and more.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
JSTOR provided expanded access during the pandemic (June 2020-June 2023). Expanded access expires on June 30, 2023. CUNY will reinstate that access beginning in January 2024.You may review the Electronic Resources Status Dashboard for updates. Questions? Email: access-support@qc-cuny.libanswers.com or Open a Ticket!
MEDLINE Complete This link opens in a new window
MEDLINE Complete is the leading full-text database of biomedical and health journals.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
PLOS | Public Library of Science This link opens in a new window
Collection of Peer-Reviewed, open-access scientific and medical journals; includes original research as well as timely feature articles.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window
Collection of scholarly journals with strong coverage for the life and physical sciences, medicine, and technical fields, with additional content in the social sciences and humanities.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
Social Sciences Full Text (H.W.Wilson) covers the latest concepts, theories, and methods from both applied and theoretical aspects of the social sciences.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text, Peer-Reviewed sociology journals covering many studies including gender studies, criminal justice, social psychology, racial studies, religion, and social work.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.

U. S. Public Health & Medicine History: Scholarly Journals

U. S. Public Health & Medicine History: 19th & 20th Century Periodicals

American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection This link opens in a new window
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection includes series 1-5 and provides more than 1,800 titles dating from 1838-1852. The themes reveal a rapidly growing young nation where industrialization, the railroads, regional political differences, and life on the western frontier were daily realities.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.

Serials in Microfilm (Internet Archive)
Digitized popular periodicals and trade magazines from the 19th and 20th centuries. American titles include: American City & County, American Machinist, The Atlantic, Chilton's Iron Age, Cosmpolitan, Farm Journal, Forbes, Harper's (Bazaar, Magazine, Weekly), Leslie's Weekly, Ladies Home Journal, Life, Living Age, McClure's, Motor Age, The Nation, New Outlook, New Republic, North American Review, Railway Age, Redbook, Scientific American, Time, Vogue, and more.

History Research Guide

Research Librarian